My name is Carter LaCorte and I am a 5th grader from Long Island, NY. I started this blog so I could write articles about the NHL and MLB. My favorite teams are the New York Yankees and the New York Islanders.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

NHL news: Ott retires, hired as Blues assistant coach

Steve Ott will no longer play in the NHL, it seems. The 34 year old has retired from the league, but was hired by the St. Louis Blue to be their assistant coach.

Ott played his final season this year, with seven points (three goals and four assists) in 53 games mainly for the Detroit Red Wings, but played a few of those games with the Montreal Canadiens. In his career, he had 288 points (109 goals and 179 assists). He's mostly known for taking lots of penalties. He had 1555 PIM in his career. He played for five teams in his career. They're the Habs, Wings, Blues, Buffalo Sabres, and the Dallas Stars, who Ott played his first nine seasons with.

The Summerside, P.E.I. (Prince Edward Island), Canada native was traded three times over the course of his career. The Stars traded him to the Sabres along with Adam Pardy for Derek Roy. The Sabres traded Ott to St. Louis in the infamous Ryan Miller trade. Ott and Miller went to St. Louis for Chris Stewart, William Carrier, Jaroslav Halak, a 2015 first round pick and a 2016 third rounder, which became Jack Roslovic and Linus Nassen respectively. Ott signed a one year deal with Detroit in 2016, but was traded to Montreal for a 2018 sixth rounder.

"Steve was a competitor on the ice as a player and a person among his teammates and I expect him to bring that energy in this role. He was highly respected as a player and a person among his teammates and I believe that he will be a huge asset to our staff," Blues head coach Mike Yeo said in a statement.

"I am very proud of my playing career and will devote the same work ethic to my coaching career," Ott said in a statement. "The Blues organization is very special to me and my family and I'm excited to take the next step in my hockey career with this franchise."